Knox's Parents: Prosecution Argument 'More Form Than Substance'

Nov. 23, 2009

By ANN WISE and RICH McHUGH via

Amanda Knox's parents said the woman described by the prosecutor in closing arguments at their daughter's Italian murder trial bore no resemblance to the 22-year-old woman they know, and they are still optimistic about their daughter returning home.

"It was more form than substance and not supported by any principles of law and any evidence. And it was actually very difficult for Amanda to listen to because they were saying things about her that had no semblance of her personality," Knox's father, Curt Knox, said describing the prosecution's closing arguments.

The prosecutors finished their closing arguments on Saturday and asked the jury to sentence Knox, who is accused of killing her British exchange student roommate, 21-year-old Meredith Kercher, while studying in Perugia, Italy in 2007, to life in prison with nine months of daytime solitary confinement.

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Knox began crying quietly Friday after lead prosecutor Giuliano Mignini finished recounting how he believes the murder took place.

"She said it was really a tough couple of days," Edda Mellas, Knox's mother, said. Knox's parents were in Seattle when the prosecution wrapped up its case.

After listening to Mignini, Knox asked to speak. In the Italian legal system, the defendant has the right to make a statement at any time during the proceedings. She told the court she wanted to say some things that were very important to her.

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"Meredith was my friend," Knox said speaking in Italian, her voice cracking briefly with emotion. "I did not hate her, and it is absurd to think I would have hurt someone who was so nice to me."

Knox added that the accusations against her were "pure fantasy."

Defense Will Challenge Prosecutors' Request for a Life Sentence

Knox's defense team will have two days next week to present their closing arguments and will put Knox one step closer to the end of a trial that has continued for eight months.

"It's horrible, it's beyond devastating. You feel, I feel sick, most days. It's terrible. The worst thing I have ever had to go through in my life," Mellas said.

A verdict is expected in early December and her parents said they hope Knox will be home in time for Christmas.

"She knows she is innocent. We know she is innocent. The evidence presented in trial, inside the actual courtroom clearly shows that she is innocent," Curt Knox said.

Outside the courtroom Saturday, Knox's lawyer, Luciano Ghirga, said that a request for daytime solitary confinement, as the prosecutor seeks for Knox, "is made for Mafia bosses, not for a 20-year-old with no police record."

He told reporters that the prosecutor's request was "foreseeable, but very harsh -- but this is what was requested, and this is what we will challenge."